Broken Promises

chapter 1

Athena wakes with the caress of his lips against hers. She smiles and flutters her eyes open. There he is. Tyler.

"What are you doing in here?" She asks with a sweet smile.

"What no 'Good morning'?" He smiles back shyly.

"Your parents let me in." He mutters after a stern look from her. Athena gets out of bed and presses her lips against his softly. This is her life. Her name is Athena Taylor and she's lived in District 7 her whole life. Panem is all she's ever known. The country consists of the wealthy Capitol which rules the poorer districts. Yet it was not always this restful. The revolution of the twelve districts was merely two years prior. A compromise was breached having the Hunger Games be played biennially rather than the old tradition of annually. Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay revolutionist, still makes attempts to change the order that’s been made, ever since killing previous leader, President Snow.

"I have to get dressed." She tells him quietly.

"I don't mind watching you." Tyler replies smoothly, leaning back against the wall, crossing his arms. Athena points to the door and he innocently inches his way out.

"Oh wait, before I forget." He hurriedly pulls out a small white box from his jean pocket. He fumbles to open the box and nervously pulls out a necklace with a small, silver axe dangling on the end which winks in the slight sunlight pouring in through the window shades. He drops the necklace into her hand and closes her fingers around it securely.

"You're going to be safe, Athena. I promise." He pulls her in for a quick peck on the lips. He soon lets go and walks out the door leaving a bitter emptiness inside, that nips at her nose. Athena is left alone with a slight blush creeping on her cheeks to get dressed on the day of the reaping. The reaping, or the random selection of children whose ages range from twelve to eighteen, is a mandatory event in which those found out to have not attended are severely punished. The games are a televised event with the participants, called "tributes" from all twelve districts, being forced to fight to the death in a dangerous public arena. The winning tribute and his/her home district is then rewarded with food, supplies, and riches. The purpose of the Hunger Games is to provide entertainment for the Capitol, and to serve as a reminder to the Districts of the Capitol's power.

*

She brushes her teeth and leaves her hair in its naturally curly state. Athena peels off her pajamas and hops into the shower to rid herself of any excess grime from the day before. After she gets out, she runs to get a towel from the pantry. She walks to her closet and decides to wear a decent short beige dress. Athena stands in front of the mirror and tries to figure out what to do with her unruly hair. She decides on wearing just a small pink bow. Athena throws on her tall beige heels and tries to run downstairs in a hurry. She stumbles on the last step and lets out an oof, just barely keeping her balance. She looks up to see her parents and Tyler talking in the kitchen.

"Ready?" She asks him with a small smile. Athena's parents, never being very talkative, both kiss her on the top of the head and whisper reassuring words into her ear. She waves goodbye and blows kisses to them both. Tyler grabs her hand and pulls her out into the crowded streets of  District 7.

As they walk, she finally takes a better look at the glinting necklace. It's a silver axe on a thin chain. Athena pulls it back and forth along its chain unconsciously and glances at Tyler momentarily. They've been dating for four years now. She loves him with all of her heart, and to her it feels as if she was meant to be with him. Nothing or no one could ever change that. Dating at the age of 13, it was unlikely of the relationship lasting. Yet with them, the two seemed to connect like puzzle pieces, both needing the other. Both relying on each other mutally. She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" He asks with a smile, looking down at her briefly.

"Just because I love you." She replies softly. He stops walking abruptly, taking her small face in his warm hands and gives her a long passionate kiss. His lips work against hers with a possessive ferocity that she's never seen before. It feels as if he's worried he will never feel her kiss again. Tyler pulls away and looks deeply into her eyes, his breathing ragged. And that's when Athena notices they are standing in front of the District 7 Justice Building.

The pair signs in with the Capitol's peace keepers who count the population of each district. The irritated woman takes a sample of Athena’s blood from her pointer finger roughly. Athena walks from the table with her finger in her mouth when suddenly Tyler pulls her off to the side of the crowd.

"Athena, you're going to be fine." He reassures her.

"I know." She replies calmly. In fact, Athena doesn't feel worried at all. She does feel something pulling at her chest, almost like a premonition that something terrible is about to happen.

"I'm more worried about you." She tells him with a deep frown.

"Don't worry about me. I only care about you. You're all that matters to me." He answers with no sign of remorse. He's telling her the truth.

"We have to go. Remember, I promise nothing is going to happen to you." He softly kisses her as if saying goodbye forever. Tyler walks over to the scattered crowd of other seventeen year old boys. Athena slowly walks over to the seventeen year old girls. Peaches Appleton walks onto the main stage looking hideous in a blinding yellow dress that hugs her bodice firmly and neon yellow makeup. Athena closes her eyes and daydreams of a place where Tyler and she could be safe from these stupid Hunger Games. She thinks to herself, what if she did get picked at this annual reaping? She smirks confidently thinking that she might stand a chance. Athena knows how to use an axe. Almost everyone in her district knows it. But would she be able to face 23 other competitors?

Peaches walks over to the bowl of all the girls who live in District 7 and pulls out one girl's name.

"ATHENA TAYLOR!" booms over the whole Justice Building in her silly little Capitol accent. She looks over to Tyler and all color has drained from his features. Athena walks onto the stage and Peaches calls out the boy's name that would fight against her in the arena. All she hears is that it's not Tyler. Athena glances quickly at her opponent and visibly stiffens. This boy is striking with his dark brown hair that sticks up at odd angles and piercing green eyes the color of fresh meadow grass. It is obvious that he is well-built, as his muscles are prominent through the thin material of his dress shirt. The pair is hurried inside and Athena sits looking at her old life out the window. Tyler is the first to visit her.

"So what happened to that promise?" She asks sarcastically.